Independent Dealer

Transcription

Independent Dealer

WINNERS’ Circle
THE
Eighty Years and Counting for Ponder’s, GA Dealer
Collaboration is a
Good Thing and
We Want More!
In Thomasville, Georgia, Bill Ponder and the rest of the Ponder’s team
have something special to celebrate this year, as they mark their dealership’s 80th year of service to the local business community.
Ponder’s was founded in 1933 by Bill’s parents, Rollie and Juanita. It
was at the height of the Depression but somehow, Bill scrabbled up
$100 savings and with another $100 loaned by a friend, he and Juanita
were ready to go to work.
The company, now 25 hard-working professionals strong, started out
as a small printing business and, reports Bill, printing still accounts for
about 35% of sales, with office supplies and furniture accounting for
the lion’s share of the rest.
Bill has been with the company since 1956 and, continuing the family
tradition, his daughter and son-in-law, Julie and York Carter, are also
active in the business, with long-time general manager Roger Farrell
rounding out the management team.
Like most independents, Ponder’s goes to market on the basis of personal relationships and a strong, service-oriented value proposition
and it’s clearly worked well for the past 80 years.
“We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of industry veterans and
a base of loyal customers who appreciate what we do and how we do
it,” says Bill.
He and his team will be celebrating all that and more at the special
Customer Appreciation Day event later this year and, no doubt, getting
ready for the next 80 years!
Starting in San Antonio at the IS-TriMega EPIC show and continuing in
Dallas at ECi’s Connect user conference, we’ve seen collaboration on a
grand scale and that’s a VERY good thing!
Putting it simply, the stakes are too high and the time is too short for
business as usual any more.
With the likes of Amazon, Staples and who knows who else breathing
down our necks, the independent dealer channel has to figure out a
way to meet some serious business challenges and soon.
For starters, we all know we have to offer an online shopping experience that’s as good, if not better, than any of the various 16-ton gorillas
in the industry and embrace the endless-aisle concept of a practically
infinite product mix far more aggressively. And we have to do that just
as soon as possible and in a way that keeps us growing and profitable.
There’s no way any single part of the channel can hope to come close
to meeting those goals on its own.
Dealers and their groups, wholesalers, manufacturers, reps and the
technology providers are all going to have to work together—harder,
faster and more closely than they ever have before—for the channel
as a whole to build a strong, sustainable future.
Three or four weeks ago, most of us probably would have said the
chances of that happening were slim to none. Now, I’m not so sure.
roi Office Interiors, NY Dealership,
Wins National Social Madness Competition
Not so long ago, Albany, New York-based roi Office Interiors had fewer
than 300 Facebook friends and not much more than 120 followers on
Twitter.
But that didn’t stop them from entering a national social media contest
back in June and after three months of frenzied posting by CEO Rob
Angelicola, his daughter Marina and son Nick, roi was able to outpace
all the competition to become the winner in the contest’s small business category.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
OCTOBER 2013
It’s been a remarkable couple of weeks
for independent office products dealers
and their business partners.
The EPIC show in San Antonio provided an outstanding example of just
what can be achieved by working together, creating new value and
cost savings for attendees and exhibitors alike.
And at ECi’s Connect conference, much of the discussion, both in the
formal presentations and offline in meeting room corridors, focused on
the need for closer collaboration up and down the dealer supply chain.
The challenge, of course, will be to keep the momentum going and
quickly translate what needs to be done into what gets done.
The dealer channel as a whole made some excellent progress in that
direction last month. Now it’s time for even more of the same and the
sooner the better!
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 2
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Winner’s Circle - continued from page 2
And along the way, they took their collection of Facebook friends to over 2,700
and added somewhere in the region of
700 new Twitter followers!
The contest was run by American City Business Journals, publishers of a broad network of regional business publications, and
winners were chosen using a point system
based on social engagement and votes registered on the contest website.
Rob told the Albany Business Review he
didn’t sleep much during the last week of
the competition.
“I was personally on social media for 20
hours a day and when I couldn’t stay
awake, my son Nick would take over,” he
said, adding that it has changed how roi
will approach social media in the future.
“We understand what it takes to keep
and maintain good relationships on social media. We have a lot of data now, so
we can review our posts to find out what
kinds of posts work best for us and what
times of day they work,” Rob said. “It’ll
allow us to focus on the customer we are
looking for and the message we are trying to get across.”
comes to social media,” she explains.
“Our most successful posts were the
ones that sparked debate and asked our
audience for some kind of response.”
Another lesson learned, according to
Marina, who serves as the dealership’s
marketing director, is that just putting up
posts for the sake of posting doesn’t really get the job done.
In addition to plenty of exposure—both on
social media platforms and in more traditional venues—contest winners were able
to nominate a charity to receive a $10,000
donation in their honor and, says Rob,
that too played a big role.
“We learned that engagement with our
customers is really important when it
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 4
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In Seattle, Keeney’s Named Local County Small
Business of the Year
The champagne was flowing last month at Keeney’s Office Supply & Office Interiors in Redmond, Washington, just outside of
Seattle, after the dealership was named Small Business of the
Year by the top executive of their local county government.
Keeney’s was selected for this year’s award from some 130 companies nominated by chambers of commerce, cities and business organizations across the county.
“We are truly humbled by this very special recognition,” commented Keeney’s president Lisa Keeney McCarthy. “It is a tribute, not only to the outstanding Keeney team but also to the
friends and partners we are so very proud to call customers all
over King County.”
Earlier this year, Keeney’s was also recognized as one of the
county’s ‘Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling.’ The company was also listed as one of the “Top 50
Greenest Companies in Washington” last year by Seattle Business magazine.
The Keeney’s team, with president Lisa Keeney McCarthy third from left, celebrate
Small Business of the Year honors at a special awards ceremony.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
“I make sure your order
leaves here on time,
every time.”
Greg Swartz
Shipping Manager, 24 years
Check out our MADE IN THE USA video
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OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 6
Success Minded
“Become end-consumer obsessed”
Harry Macey III, President
Perry Office Plus
“Expand the market”
Kenny Sayes, President
Sayes Office Supplies
“Create a brand-first culture”
Stephen Fraga, President
Tejas Office Products
“Transform the online experience”
“Build a winning sales organization”
Timothy Flynn, President
Impact Office Products
Sean Marx, CEO
Give Something Back
“Be capital smart”
“Target Campaigns”
Paul Schermerhorn, President
Park Ridge Stationers
Jennifer Smith, CEO
Innovative Office Solutions
7 Moves To Win
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SM
Two Houston Independents Among City’s Fastest
Growing Companies
If you’re looking for recent indications of the continued resurgence of the independent dealer, you might just want to head
on down to Houston, where two local independents were recognized recently by a local business publication as members of its
exclusive “Fast 100” list of fastest-growing private companies.
IQ Office Products came in ranked at Number 20 on the list,
while Tejas Office Products, posting its second year on the list,
coming in at Number 97.
MD Independent ImpactOffice Acquires FSSI Contract
Holder EZ Print Supplies
In a move that marks a significant expansion of its presence in
the federal government marketplace, Beltsville, Maryland-based
ImpactOffice has acquired EZ Print Supplies, a fellow independent headquartered in Northridge, California, that has had a major focus on federal government sales since its founding in 2003.
EZ Print currently holds a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) under the government’s Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI)
as well as its own GSA contract and is also an Outstanding AbilityOne Authorized Dealer.
In addition, it has been part of the DOD Emall system since 2004
and enjoys significant business with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
The deal adds about 5% to ImpactOffice’s overall sales and
means a slight increase in employee headcount, said Impact executive vice president Geary FitzPatrick. Among the employees
coming on board is EZ Print owner and founder Toria Meadors,
who will be joining ImpactOffice in a sales position.
ImpactOffice plans to retain EZ Print’s facilities in California and
will adopt a co-branding strategy for the present, with plans to
eventually fold the company in under the ImpactOffice brand,
Geary indicated.
Further bolstering Impact’s government market effort, David Harris, formerly with S.P. Richards, has also joined ImpactOffice as
its VP of government sales.
“We’re sitting here in the nation’s capital and we want to expand
our footprint in the government sector,” Geary commented.
“We’re excited about the opportunities presented by the addition
of David and the EZ Print organization and looking forward to
some significant sales expansion in an important market.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 8
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Office Essentials, MO Dealer,
Acquires Local Competitor PMI
Computer Supplies
In what the two dealerships concerned
are calling a modern-day David and Goliath love story, St. Louis-based Office
Essentials last month announced it has
acquired fellow local independent PMI
Computer Supplies.
Office Essentials described the deal as
“a strategic move to think like Goliath by
targeting PMI’s prospering market share,
broad national footprint and enhanced
technology product scope.”
But even if they’re thinking like Goliath, Office Essentials management is still behaving
very much like David. The company plans
to retain 100% of PMI’s employees, bringing its total company headcount to 105.
Office Essentials said it plans to challenge
the future of the workplace by looking to
PMI’s unique sales model and adopting
their prowess in managing national relationships.
Think like Goliath but behave like David;
It’s the best of both worlds: broad national business done with heart, the dealership said.
Hummel’s Office Plus, NY Dealer,
Acquires Hayes Office Products
Hummel’s Office Plus earlier this month
announced it has acquired Norwich, New
York–based Hayes Office Products, about
60 miles south of its headquarters in Mohawk, New York. Financial terms of the
deal were not disclosed.
Hayes Office Products will change its
name to Hummel’s Office Plus and continue to operate from its location in Norwich. Hummel’s said it will retain all Hayes
employees and continue to service both
retail customers and commercial delivery
accounts.
“The merging of our two local, family owned companies is a great story for
Central New York,” commented Hummel’s
CEO Justin Hummel. “We are proud of the
history of both companies and remain focused on bringing the very best solution
to our customers while they procure their
business products.”
Hayes has operated out of its downtown
Norwich location since the mid 1950s,
when the Sumner family started the business. The Hayes family took over in 1988
and kept the tradition alive for 25 more
years.
The merger of Hummel’s Office Plus and
Hayes Office Products brings together
more than 100 years of knowledge and
expertise in office supplies, shipping services, retail gifts, office furniture, technology, janitorial and break room products.
It also brings Hummel’s Central New York
employee base to nearly 100.
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OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 10
“Our operations are growing at a fast pace as we move into several new market channels which require both Vicky and I to separate the day to day responsibilities,” stated John.
OH Dealer MOMS Welcomes New Home,
Co-Sponsors Green ‘Take a Walk’ Event
“Rosa’s Office Plus is dedicated to making sure our local and
national operations are grounded on firm foundations. Having
myself heading-up the local operations and John working the
development of the new channels promises to add value to all
our clients. Rosa’s will be adding more local staff to support the
growth,” commented Vicky.
In addition, Rosa’s announced Stacey Wolke has joined the organization as sales manager. Stacey is a 14-year veteran of the industry most recently serving the Findlay, Ohio market place with
Friends Business Source.
In Kent, Ohio, Al Piteo and his team at MOMS Office Supply, AKA
Miracle on Main Street, have pretty much finished settling in after
moving to a brand new warehouse.
MOMS’s new home is some 7,200 square feet and comes with a
full range of energy-saving features such as radiant heat, plenty
of skylights and T5 fixtures and ceiling fans.
“We are very excited to have Stacey join our team,” said John.
“She brings a management style to our operation that complements our Buy Local and National Sales strategies.”
New England Office Supply, MA Dealer, Celebrates
20th Anniversary at Annual End User Expo
“We did just about everything we could think of to make it as
energy-efficient as possible,” says Al.
Careful use of energy is not the only way MOMS does its part
to nurture the environment. Last month, the dealership worked
with the Sustainability Center at nearby Kent State University to
co-sponsored a special “Let’s Take a Ride or Walk” event for
university staff to encourage more walking and less driving and
highlight MOMS and other local merchants.
Vicky Hauptstueck
Stacey Wolke
OCTOBER 2013
Vicky Hauptstueck Named
President at Rosa’s Office Plus,
IN Dealer; New Sales Manager
Joins Team
It was show time in Braintree, Massachusetts, last month, as
New England Office Supply held its 2013 NEOS Expo.
At Richmond, Indiana-based Rosa’s
Office Plus, Vicky Hauptstueck has
been named president, succeeding her
husband, John.
Some 300 customers, prospects and friends turned out for the
event, reports NEOS’s Dale Bloem, with over 60 exhibitors showcasing the very latest in office supplies, janitorial products and
office furniture at the dealership’s headquarters facility.
Vicky has been fully involved in the day
to day operations since she and John
purchased the company in 2006, Rosa’s said.
In addition to the show, NEOS offered a special seminar, presented by vice president Dennis McCarthy and the dealership’s marketing team, on Eight Steps to Better Procurement Management.
She took over the president role in
April, when John Hauptstueck became
CEO of the parent corporation, Office
Ventures, to manage corporate strategic growth initiatives.
Our congratulations and here’s to the next 20 years!
This was the fourth year for the expo and it had a special dimension, as the dealership also celebrated its 20th anniversary.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 12
Keeton’s Office & Art Supply, FL Dealer, Honors
9-11 Victims with Commemorative Blood Drive
It’s been twelve years now since the terrorist attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon but the memories are still
fresh for many.
In Bradenton, Florida, Bryce Hoopingarner and his team at Keeton’s Office & Art Supply came up with a particularly fitting way
to mark the anniversary of September 11 this year, when they
hosted a special commemorative blood drive at their main store.
for every double play the Twins make this year. And even if the
Twins overall aren’t exactly enjoying a stellar season, they’re
currently leading the league in double plays per game! Coincidence? We didn’t think so either!
Runners from Office Works, CA Dealership,
Get Down and Dirty for a Good Cause
“We’ve been holding blood drives at the store on a regular basis
for about the past three years now but this one was special,” explains Keetons’ Caleb Hoopingarner, who headed up the effort.
“We were looking for a way to honor and remember those who
were killed and who sacrificed their lives as first responders and
this just seemed the right way to do it,” he adds.
Evidently, the good citizens of Bradenton agreed. Participation
in the drive was about double the usual number, Caleb reports.
MN Dealer Innovative Office Solutions Partners
with Twins Baseball Team to Help Children in Need
It was all for a good cause as Office Works team members went the extra muddy mile
in support of local charities.
If you’ve been in the office products business for any length of
time, you’ll know that sometimes, there’s no other choice but to
get down and dirty.
But few dealerships take getting down and dirty to quite the
lengths that the some of the folks at Victorville, California-based
Office Works did recently.
Fortunately, however, it was all for a good cause, as an Office
Works team took part in a 5K Mud Run in California’s High Desert
region to raise funds for some deserving local charities.
Members of the Minnesota Twins Wives Club and Innovative Office Supplies associates
teamed up to provide underprivileged children with much needed school supplies.
Burnsville, Minnesota-based Innovative Office Solutions is happy to count among its customers several of the Twin Cities’ major
sports team and a key part of maintaining the relationship with
those high-profile accounts is active and ongoing support of the
teams’ favorite local charities.
Case in point: Innovative’s partnering with the Minnesota Twins
Wives Club recently to help distribute 350 backpacks filled with
supplies to children in need at a local homeless shelter.
Kudos for the effort should also go to wholesaler United
Stationers, says Innovative’s Jason Player, for their help
with the project.
Also ongoing with the Twins right now is a program by which Innovative will make a $100 donation, up to a maximum of $5,000,
OCTOBER 2013
The course was challenging, to put it mildly, with 30-plus obstacles, including wall climbs, tunnel crawls and some deep
mud pits. And to add a little more spice to the event, organizers
pumped plenty of water along the course ahead of the run to
create a thick and gooey mess of a track.
“It was brutal but a lot of fun and a very different way to spend
time with some customers,” reports Office Works’ Alyn Peterson.
And the free beer provided to competitors after the event didn’t
hurt either!
FL Dealer Office Xpress Supply Hosts Monthly ‘Wine
Wednesday’ Event
If you’re looking for a way to raise your visibility in the community
and sell some more office furniture, you might want to follow the
example of Randy Garcia and his team at Office Xpress Supply
in Hialeah, Florida.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 13
Their dealership recently hosted its first Wine Wednesday, an
event billed as “an afternoon of wine, cheese and great furniture
deals on gently used or new furniture.”
Evidently, it was just what the good people of Hialeah have been
waiting for, since about 35 customers and prospects showed up
not only to enjoy a Happy Hour with a twist but also do a little
shopping for some office furniture!
“We didn’t really know what to expect from this first Wine
Wednesday event but it went very well,” reports Randy. “We took
three furniture orders during the afternoon for about $25,000 and
saw several new prospects who just came in to see what we had
to offer.”
The event went so well that Randy is planning to schedule more
Wine Wednesdays on a monthly basis to help keep the momentum going on the furniture front.
OP Companies in the Inc. 5000
Every year, Inc. Magazine publishes its Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S., to pay tribute
to successful entrepreneurs and highlight their importance to the
overall economy.
The list always contains a contingent of office products companies and we’re delighted to recognize this year’s class, one of the
largest in recent years. Our congratulations go to the following
companies:
#1099
#1278
#1366
#1493
#2011
#2367
#2478
#2730
#3411
#3449
#3768
#3912
#4039
#4061
#4211
#4290
#4392
#4621
#4865
#4872
#4922
OCTOBER 2013
Workplace Solutions, Virginia Beach, VA
Pens N More, Hickory Hills, IL
Beyond The Office Door, Wausau, WI
iBuyOfficeSupply, Plymouth, MN
IQ Office Products, Houston
ProCopy Office Solutions, Phoenix
Innovative Office Solutions, Burnsville, MN
Image Business Interiors, Virginia Beach, VA
Lamination Depot, Santa Ana, CA
Pacific Office Interiors, Agoura Hills, CA
MyBinding.com, Hillsboro, OR
Source Office Products, Golden, CO
Empire Office, New York, NY
Global Office Solutions, Novi, MI
Central Office Systems, Waukesha, WI
Porter’s Office Products, Rexburg, ID
Office Xpress, Canoga Park, CA
Ball Office Products, Richmond, VA
ECI Software Solutions, Fort Worth, TX
Today’s Business Products, Cleveland, OH
Value Based Solutions, Westlake, OH
in memoriam:
Ed Taylor of Taylor Office Supply
R. Edwin (Ed) Taylor, co-founder of Taylor Office Supply in Baton
Rouge and father of TriMega VP Grady Taylor, died September 29
in Baton Rouge. He was 85.
Ed and his wife of 64years, Frances McLaurin Taylor (Fran),
founded Taylor Office Supply in 1963 and ran it successfully until
they sold the business in 1994.
In addition to his office products career, Ed was a well known
humorist and comedian, with an acquired Cajun accent. For
eighteen years, he was a regular performer on Mississippi paddle
wheelers and also entertained regularly for civic and religious
groups, conventions and military reunions.
He is survived by his wife and three sons, Grady E. Taylor and his
wife, Roxanne Lea Taylor, Baton Rouge; Honorable Richard D.
Taylor, Little Rock, AR, and Steven C. Taylor and his wife, Jamie
Chatagnier Taylor, Baton Rouge. Also, four grandchildren, Christine
Lynn Taylor Klein and her husband, Christian, Austin, TX, and
Brandon Taylor, Lindsey Lea Taylor and Hannah F. Taylor, Baton
Rouge; great-granddaughter Marigny Frances Klein, Austin, TX,
and former daughter in law Dottie Taylor Daniels, Carbondale, CO.
Memorial donations are suggested to the East Baton Rouge
Parish Animal Control Center, 2680 Progress Road, Baton Rouge,
LA 70807; the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, P. O. Box 2996,
Baton Rouge, LA 70821, or a charity of your choice.
Lex Elkins of Lucas Brothers
Lex Edward Elkins II died September 7 on Hilton Head Island,
South Carolina, after a short and fierce fight with cancer.
An office products veteran, Lex began his career in 1977 at Lucas
Brothers, an office products dealer that served the Washington,
D.C.-Baltimore marketplace.
He rose quickly from sales to sales management before moving to
Atlanta where he co-founded Express Office Products.
After successfully helping to build the company as a specialist in
the large corporate market, Lex and his partners sold to Hanson
Office Products.
Lex joined Corporate Express when it acquired Hanson in 1993
and progressed through a series of senior management roles for
the company.
When Staples acquired Corporate Express in 2008, he became
a member of the Staples Advantage leadership team and most
recently, served as vice president of account management,
responsible for the eastern half of the United States.
Lex is survived by his wife Kimberley Paschal Elkins, his 22-yearold son Lex Elkins, III, his mother Margaret “Lois” Elkins, his
younger brother Thomas Barry Elkins and his family, his younger
sister Debra Elkins McIntyre and her family and many other
nephews and nieces, cousins, uncles, and aunts.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution can be made to the
Carteret Street Methodist Church located at 408 Carteret Street,
Beaufort, S.C. 29902 or to Sanctuary Hospice P.O. Box 161,
Ridgeland, S.C. 29936.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 14
Join Us in
e
p
o
H
Advancing
3M has made a donation of the
indicated price for each specially
marked product shown to City of Hope™
for breast cancer research, treatment and
education up to a total maximum donation
amount of $100,000.00.
50¢
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Post-it® Heart Pop-up Note Dispenser
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Step up your style!
Description
Pink shoe dispenser includes one roll
of Scotch® Magic™ Tape, ¾" x 350"
Qty
EA
List Price
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Scotch® Pink Restickable Shapes
Reuse again and again!
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Scotch® Recyclable* Pink Plastic
Bubble Mailers
Post-it® Super Sticky Notes for
Breast Cancer Awareness
Secure, lightweight and cushioned
protection!
Holds stronger and longer!**
Item No.
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Description
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List Price
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25¢
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Qty
EA
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$6.13
*Made with the same materials as recycled plastic bags. Some retail stores and recycling centers collect
plastic bags for recycling.
3M, Post-it, Scotch, Magic and the Plaid Design are trademarks of 3M. © 3M 2013. All rights reserved.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Secrets of Success
Winning the
Race in the
Bluegrass State
by Jim Rapp
When Brian Kerr went to work for the
company now called Kerr Office Group
in 1999, it was known as Bean Publishing
Company and was operated by the third
generation of the Bean family. Annual
sales back then amounted to just slightly
over $1 million.
Brian bought the business in 2006 and
over the past six years he has turned it
into one of the most successful independent dealers in Kentucky.
From its beginning in a storefront in historic Elizabethtown, Kerr Office now
serves clients throughout the state and is
moving into southern Indiana and northern Tennessee.
“While we are pleased with our progress
to date, we are just getting started,” Brian
says enthusiastically.
“To say that bringing the business up to
where it is today has been a difficult task
is an understatement,” Brian continues.
“When I joined the company we had no
computer system, to give one example.
“We started from scratch. K Coaching’s
Krista Moore was a big help. We built an
entirely new sales process, with rep specialization, installed the DDMS system
and greatly expanded our offerings.
OCTOBER 2013
“We added carpets and blinds to our furniture lines, and on the service side, we’ve
added MPS, with one- to three-year service contracts, as well as interior designers and installation on the furniture side.
“We not only sell computers, printers and
other hardware; we also maintain equipment, with a certified engineer on staff.”
The company still maintains an office furniture and copier showroom in downtown
Elizabethtown. “But our real showroom is
our people,” Brian states. “Everyone is a
salesperson. Our delivery people are well
known to just about everyone at every
customer location. They make a point of
getting acquainted, making desktop deliveries and asking how they can be helpful.”
Brian, Tabitha and many of their employees are also involved in a broad range of
community activities.
Brian is a member of the board of directors of Independent Stationers and serves
in volunteer positions with the local United Way, Hardin County Community Foundation, Boy Scouts, Junior Achievement
and the Heritage Council.
“What about future plans?” I asked.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
Kerr Office Group, Elizabethtown, KY
• Brian Kerr, President
• Tabitha Kerr, Vice President
• Tom Hamilton, Vice President, Operations
• Supplies, furniture, janitorial, copiers, IT
products and services, MPS
• Founded: 1939
• Sales: $6 million
• Employees: 25
• Partners: Independent Stationers, S.P.
Richards
• Online sales: 20%
• www.kerrog.com
“We are looking for larger, more profitable
customers,” says Brian. “Independents
can get a larger share of this business
because they can compete on price and
certainly can offer higher service levels.
“We see MPS as a great growth area, as
well as the supplies that go with it. We are
also looking at other independent dealers
that may not have a succession plan in
place, or that have an owner who wants
to retire.”
I expect we will be hearing a lot more from
the Bluegrass state in the days to come.
PAGE 16
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IS president and CEO Mike Gentile (left) and TriMega chairman Ian Wist greet
each other at the opening general session.
Members of the Enterprise Group team in San Antonio celebrate their selection as EPIC
Partner of the Year. The award was presented by Independent Stationers’ Charles Forman
(far left) and TriMega’s Michael Morris (far right).
IS and TriMega Make Big Things Happen at First Joint Convention
Dealer groups Independent Stationers and TriMega promised big
things would happen at their first joint convention effort and they
delivered on that promise handsomely last month in San Antonio,
where the two groups hosted their EPIC 2013 event.
coming merger to the “rumors-only” column at this time, they left
little doubt that further collaboration would be coming and soon.
From the opening reception through to the last convention workshop, the energy level was high as dealers and their business
partners gave an overwhelmingly positive response to what
many attendees saw as a first step towards closer collaboration
and an eventual merger.
“There is no big announcement here at EPIC about TriMega and
Independent Stationers merging,” TriMega board chairman Ian
Wist told members of both groups at the opening session. “But
what is big,” he continued, “is the lines of communication are
wide open, we are genuinely engaging in productive dialog and
efforts to ultimately make the right, big decision for our groups
and our dealers.”
The event drew over 1,300 attendees, including nearly 1,000
from some 450 dealer firms and featured close to 150 exhibitors,
numbers that in themselves testified to the event’s success.
Independent Stationers president and CEO Mike Gentile pointed to
national accounts as another area where the two groups are already
starting to work together.
And while leaders of both groups consigned forecasts of an up-
Industry Raises Record $11.7 Million
in Support of City of Hope
A spectacular fireworks display provided a fitting conclusion to the City
of Hope’s Spirit of Life Gala in Chicago last month as members of the
City of Hope’s National Office Products Council honored Spirit of Life
Award honoree Bob Keller of ACCO Brands and celebrated a remarkable campaign that raised a record $11.7 million.
Adding an extra dimension to the festivities, this year also marks
the100th anniversary of City of Hope, which since its founding in 1913
has been a pioneer in the research and treatment of cancer and other
life-threatening diseases.
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 18
WHERE BIG HAPPENS
TM
September 17-19, 2014
Westin Diplomat
Hollywood, Florida
BIG THINGS
continue in 2014
as TriMega & Independent Stationers
team up again to host EPIC 2014
Save the Date
www.WhereBigHappens.com
Industry News - continued from page 18
“Today, we have TriMega’s Point Nationwide and Independent Stationers’ National Accounts program collaborating
on a number of joint endeavors,” Gentile
reported. “Soon,” he added, “we will have
some TriMega dealers servicing the U.S.
Communities OP business and then, once
our school supply contract is launched on
October 1, some of that business will run
through Point Nationwide’s BMI computer
system, while other schools nationally will
have a choice of using the BMI platform or
the CSMe platform.”
And, noted TriMega’s Wist, collaboration
will also extend to include the group’s federal government market efforts.
“The independent dealer community needs
to show to the federal government that a
consortia or cooperative model is successful in terms of sales volume and to
that point, we have some TriMega GSA
business being run through the Independent Stationers’ FSSI agreement … and we
have a test TriMega dealer soliciting U.S.
Communities business off the IS contract.”
The overall message from both groups
was one that stressed open lines of communication, trust and a determination to
work together for the benefit of the independent dealer channel as a whole.
“As we move forward together,” Wist
urged, “let’s push back against the cynicism levied against the independent
dealer channel by our big box competitors and the skepticism by other so-called
experts in our own industry. Instead, let’s
embrace the solidarity and entrepreneurial spirit that got us here to EPIC.”
In keeping with the overall collaboration
theme, keynote speaker Stephen M. R.
Covey highlighted the power of trust as
an economic driver for business.
The ability to create trust, he argued, is not
just a social virtue but represents the Number One competency of business leadership in today’s highly collaborative world.
And, he suggested, independent dealers
can leverage trust to strengthen their own
market position in a very special way because of their local presence and deep
roots in their communities.
“You have a huge opportunity to earn the
trust of your customers in a way the naOCTOBER 2013
tional chains cannot,” Covey contended.
In addition to the tradeshow and Covey’s
presentation, other meeting highlights included:
• The election of Enterprise Group,
voted on by members of both IS and
TriMega, as the EPIC 2013 Partner of
the Year
• A comprehensive program of nearly
35 different seminars, workshops and
roundtable discussions on key industry
topics
• An extensive offering of networking
events, including a special Block Party
at the Alamo Plaza
• Separate membership and shareholder meetings for IS and TriMega, where
the groups elected new officers, heard
updates on various group programs
and recognized members for special
achievements over the past year.
And in keeping with the new spirit of
collaboration, the two groups said they
would host another joint convention in
2014, to be held September 17-19 at the
Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida.
Good news!
IS and TriMega Honor Members for Outstanding Group Support
In San Antonio, both IS and TriMega recognized
several dealers for outstanding support of their
respective organizations.
Winners of the IS Chairman’s Club Award for
2012, representing the highest participation in IS
programs and services, were Source One Office
Products, South Elgin, Illinois, and Evans Office
Supply, Morristown, Tennessee.
IS also recognized several dealers for their support of the group’s federal sales and national accounts programs.
Dealers honored with Federal Sales Program
Awards included Guernsey Office Products,
Dulles, Virginia (Outstanding Dealer of the Year);
Office Express, LLC, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
(Rookie Dealer of the Year) and Borough Supplies
Corp. New York City; Smart Business Products,
Columbia Missouri, and Business Products Unusual, Los Angeles (all Regional Team Players)
Recognized for their support of the IS National
Accounts Program were Consolidated Office
Systems, San Antonio (Outstanding Dealer of
the Year); Alabama Office Supply, Opelika, Alabama (Rookie Dealer of the Year) and Kennedy
Office, Raleigh, North Carolina; Friends Business
Source, Findlay, Ohio, and A&B Business Solutions, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (all Regional
Team Players).
In addition, IS introduced two new awards to
recognize top dealer performance in purchasing through the the group’s RDC program. Those
INDEPENDENT DEALER
awards went to Amerisys, Chantilly, Virginia, and
Caprice Electronics, Brooklyn, New York.
Also at the meeting, David Sanner of Sanner Office Supply in Erie, Pennsylvania, was elected to
a three-year term on the IS board of directors.
Following the meeting, the IS board elected the
following officers for the coming year:
• Chairman: Harrison Hummel IV, Hummel’s
Office Plus, Herkimer, NY
• Vice Chairman: Bryan Kristenson, Office Plus
of Kansas, Wichita, KS
• Treasurer: Brian Kerr, Kerr Group,
Elizabethtown, KY
• Secretary: Steve Gordon, Independence
Business Supply, Cleveland, OH
TriMega awarded growth awards to the
following dealers:
• Heights Office Products, San Antonio
- greatest percentage increase in total
purchases (direct and wholesale)
• Barefield Workplace Solutions, Jackson,
Mississippi - greatest dollar increase in total
purchases (direct and wholesale)
• Newtown Office & Computer Supplies,
Newtown, Pennsylvania - greatest
percentage increase
• MyBinding.com, Hillsboro, Oregon - greatest
Dollar increase (direct purchases only)
PAGE 20
Embrace Change and Get Out of Your Comfort Zone, ECi Execs Tell Dealers at User Conference
At the opening general session, ECi president and CEO Ron Books (left) and chief operating officer Trevor Gruenewald called on attendees to embrace change in order to respond
successfully to rapidly shifting market conditions.
Grow your e-commerce business, expand
into more new vertical markets, become
more operationally efficient and get out of
your comfort zone.
That was the call to dealers from ECi Software Solutions at the technology provid-
er’s Connect Conference 2013 in Dallas
last month.
close to 30 different third-party suppliers
and business partners.
The event brought together nearly 800 ECi
software users, including about 350 office dealer participants, for three days of
training, networking and an expo featuring
ECi president and CEO Ron Books and
chief operating officer Trevor Gruenewald
set the tone for the meeting at the opening
General Session with a presentation that
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OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
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PAGE 22
Photo by Fanning Howey
Come to EdSpaces to position your independent office products company as a key resource
in the $22 billion educational facilities marketplace. EdSpaces is the ONLY event that brings
together the professionals who design, equip and manage innovative learning environments
and the manufacturers, service providers and dealers who offer the essential solutions.
Find new lines, new products, and new revenue
streams throughout the hall and in specialty
spaces on the exhibit floor that spotlight potential
growth areas for your business.
Learn how to sell more effectively into the education
vertical market at private vendor sales meetings.
Discover innovative marketing ideas at business
sessions aimed at the independent dealer.
Meet qualified buyers from school
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highlighted the critical need to be willing
and able to change in response to dynamic and rapidly shifting market conditions.
“Now is the time to prepare for your future
customers and employees,” Books told
attendees. “Find ways to communicate
to customers the way they want with a
message that is both relevant and timely,
urged Gruenewald.
Not surprisingly, technology was front
and center, as ECi executives outlined for
dealers how they can meet those goals
and previewed some of the new tools the
company will be introducing to help them.
In a session presented by Anshul
Choudhry and Andrew Morgan, co-presidents of ECi’s Office Products Divison,
the focus was very much on the need for
enhanced content and search functionality to provide a superior end user experience and support implementation of an
“endless aisle” merchandising strategy by
the dealer.
OCTOBER 2013
“The goal at all times should be to delight the customer,” contended Choudry,
who stressed the importance of stronger
online branding and differentiation, analytics-driven innovation and the ability
for dealers to deliver a more personalized
e-commerce experience for customers.
Also high on the list of priorities was the
need to be able to offer a fully-functional
mobile e-commerce solution.
At the meeting, ECi previewed its mobile
shopping app, currently under development, and said it anticipates the app will
launch by the second quarter of 2014.
Also on the horizon, though not quite as
soon, will likely be a consolidation of the
three different office products solutions
ECi currently offers.
In the Q&A session following the formal
presentation by Choudry and Morgan,
ECi’s Ron Books indicated that the company expects to reduce the number of
platforms it currently offers with the next
3-4 years and plans to take the strongest
features and functionality from each one
to develop what he described as best-ofbreed solutions.
Staples Recalls Office
Chairs Due to Fall
Hazard
Staples has recalled its Bermond
Fabric Manager’s
Chair due to a fall
hazard, the U.S.
Consumer Products
Safety Commission (CPSC)
announced
recently.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 24
The problem with the chair, according to
the CPSC, is that the base of the chair can
break, posing a fall hazard.
www.Quill.com and Medical Arts Press
between July 2011 and May 2013 for
about $50 to $100.
The chairs come with unpadded arms and
have a five-wheel base. They come in two
colors: gray and burgundy. A tag on the
bottom of the seat cushion has the SKU
and item numbers printed on it: the gray
SKU is 924204 with item number 21084;
and the burgundy SKU is 924203 with
item number 21083.
Consumers should immediately stop using the chairs and contact the firm for instructions on returning the chairs for a full
refund, the CPSC said.
They were manufactured in China for Staples by Global Furniture (Zheijiang) Co.
Ltd. of Zheijiang, China.
Staples has received 41 reports of the
chairs’ base breaking, including three from
consumers who reported falling out of the
chairs with one receiving a scratched leg
and bump to the back of the head, the
CPSC reported.
Staples is not the only big box operator to
experience problems recently with seating manufactured for it in China.
Last year, Office Depot recalled its Biella
Leather Desk Chair at the request of the
Commission, because, the Commission
said, the chairs also posed a fall hazard
to consumers.
In addition, the Safety Research & Strategies product safety research organization last year reported similar problems
with Office Depot’s Gibson Leather Office
Chair.
The recall affects about 3,350 units sold
at www.staples.com and online via Staples’ in-store kiosks, Staples Advantage,
Two New Dealer Members,
New Business Partner Join
AOPD; Avery’s Barry Lane
Joins Advisory Board
The American Office Products Distributors dealer national account network last
month announced the addition of two
new dealer members to the organization:
Fresno, California-based Drumright’s and
V-Quest Office Machines & Supplies in
Georgetown, Texas.
These additions bring AOPD’s membership to 97 dealers and affiliates with 195
locations throughout the United States,
as well as Canada, Europe and Australia,
AOPD said.
Separately, AOPD announced the addition of RDA Advantage to its Business
Partner program and of Barry Lane, vice
president of field sales (commercial) at
Avery Products, to its Business Partner
Advisory Council.
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104
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 25
RDA Advantage, is a pure re-distributor selling exclusively
through distributors, in foodservice disposables and jan/san distribution. With over 150 sales reps across the country, their local
market knowledge combined with national distribution makes
them very competitive in these key product areas, AOPD said.
“We must find other avenues of growth potential for our dealers
as the office products share continues to decline in non-contract
and also contract areas of our business,” stated Bud Mundt,
AOPD Executive Director. “RDA Advantage is an excellent additional resource for our dealers in this key market segment of our
industry.”
New AOPD Business Partner Advisory Council member Barry
Lane succeeds Tom Sullivan of Smead Manufacturing, who retired earlier this year.
Commented Mundt, “Tom was on the AOPD Business Partner
Advisory Council and through his help and excellent counsel
played an important role in our growth and success. He was involved with many of the growth initiatives which helped develop
AOPD into the market leader in regional and national contracts.”
Mundt continued, “Although Tom will be sorely missed, we are
excited to bring Barry onto the Council. Barry has been a longtime champion of the independent channel and AOPD. He brings
the experience and commitment needed to be an integral part of
AOPD’s future growth.”
EdSpaces Show Adds Industry Partnerships
The National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA)
last month announced that the American Institute of Architects’
Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) is expanding its
role as a knowledge partner for NSSEA’s upcoming 2013 EdSpaces show.
The strategic partnership between NSSEA and AIA-CAE further
positionsEdSpaces as the preeminent event for the educational
facility planning community, NSSEA said.
“NSSEA is proud to further our relationship with the AIACommittee on Architecture for Education and promote the cutting-edge
learning environments they design for students of all ages,”
said NSSEA president and CEO Jim McGarry. “It’s been terrific
to have representatives from the CAE Advisory Group serving
on the EdSpaces planning committee to ensure this is an event
where architects can meet with other industry leaders to create
innovative solutions that enhance the learning experience.”
CAE will sponsor the EdSpaces Educational Facility Tour as a
pre-Conference event and also sponsor a track of design-related sessions during the CEU-accredited education conference
during EdSpaces.
OCTOBER 2013
In addition, EdSpaces will once again include an exhibit display
of winners from the prestigious CAE Design Awards program.
Separately, NSSEA announced that the American Architectural
Foundation (AAF) has been named a Knowledge Partner for EdSpaces. AAF, in cooperation with the AIA-CAE, will hold its Design for Learning Program in conjunction with the show.
During EdSpaces, teams of school officials from select districts
across the country will be teamed up with some of the country’s
top architects and designers to dialog and solve challenges with
their schools’ physical learning environment. Program participants will briefly present the problems faced, and then the solutions and strategies developed for improvement to their districts
and facilities.
For more information on this year’s event, which takes place December 4-6 in San Antonio, visit www.Ed-Spaces.com.
MBS Dev Announces New Mobile App for
Independent Dealer E-Commerce Sites
Dealer technology provider MBS Dev last month announced the
launch of its mobile web application, Customer Connect Mobile
for dealer e-commerce sites.
The mobile web application provides dealer customers with access to shopping, purchase approvals and order and account
management from any tablet or mobile device using touch technology, the company said.
At the same time it makes it easier for dealers to diversify the
categories they sell, the company added. Specific features and
functionality include:
• Customized dealer branding on
mobile app
• Customer password protection
for secure account management
• Ability to shop by department
or dealer recommendations for
merchandising opportunities
• Shoppers can search for specific
products, sort and filter for faster
search results
• Product pages include photos,
product details & description and
price
• Shoppers can view, save and
reorder past orders, favorite or
frequently purchased items
• Ability to quickly review and approve pending orders
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 26
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As the technology division of United Stationers, MBS Dev formulated this software as part of United’s strategy to provide leading
content and capabilities that enable breakthrough merchandising and cross-selling capabilities to their independent dealers,
the company said.
“As dealers diversify their categories, as they get into breakroom
and safety, for example, the mobile platform will better enable
them to serve different buyers who may not have access to a
computer,” said Beckie Watson, chief technology officer of MBS
Dev. “Also, as the millennials enter positions of higher influence
in business, they will expect their B2B interactions to be as personalized and interactive as their B2C interactions, including the
ability to shop anywhere, anytime.”
MBS Dev previewed Customer Connect Mobile at last month’s
joint Independent Stationers and EPIC 2013 convention. The app
will be available to customers running MBS DEV 2009 build 119 or
MBS DEV 2012 v1.0. Current customers should contact MBS Dev
Support for dealer specific availability. For more information on
pricing or to request a demonstration, contact [email protected].
United Stationers Releases New Research
on Millennials, Announces New Vertical
Markets Group
Millennials’ knowledge of preferred office products providers is lower
than other generations.
pendent dealers now and in the future,” said United’s VP of marketing Diane Hund.
“The latest research from United Stationers equips independent
dealers with a better perspective on the unique needs of the millennial in order to assess and adjust branding, marketing, product assortment and overall approach when targeting this growing
demographic.”
According to the research, more millennials find shopping for office products fun than other groups.
Compared to 25% for baby boomers, 36% of millennials rate
purchasing office products as fun.
Additionally, 37% of millennials say that purchasing office products reminds them of buying school supplies, compared to only
18% of boomers.
However, millennials’ knowledge of the preferred office products
provider is low, according to the research. In comparison with
baby boomers, millennials are 10% less aware of the identity of
their company’s preferred office provider.
Based on United’s “7 Moves to Win” strategy, the research report
outlines key takeaways for independent dealers when targeting
the millennial worker, including:
• GetWeb Ready: Millennials reported going online 58% of
the time first to browse and compare products. Ensure your
website is user-friendly and feature rich to make a good
impression.
• Get Mobile: 36% of millennials say that they choose whatever supplier is fastest and easiest. Meet your customers on
their terms by providing mobile-friendly web solutions and
incentives like same-day delivery.
• Good Design Goes a Long Way: Nearly a third of millennials
(32%) buy items more for their personal use than for business use—good design matters.
Awareness of the identity of the company’s preferred office products providers.
Wholesaler United Stationers, in conjunction with the Research
Now research organization, has released a new study on the
behavior and preferences of millennials when purchasing office
products for the workplace. The study also highlights how dealers can adjust their strategies in response.
Millennials (generally estimated between 19 and 36 years old)
are forecasted to make up more than half of the U.S. white-collar
workforce within the next six years, United indicated, and the
new study, entitled: “Office Products Enthusiasm: Driving the
Millennial Purchase,” is intended to help dealers better respond
to their needs and priorities.
“Tech-savvy, fast paced millennials are a key segment for indeOCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
For a copy of the full report and an infographic on its key findings, visit United’s Solutions Central dealer portal.
Separately, United also announced last month the creation of a
new “Vertical Markets Group,” organized to support independent
resellers in developing solutions specific to end-users’ requirements.
United said the new group will provides tailored program solutions to help dealers exploit opportunities in a number of markets
that include public sector, enterprise, healthcare, and diverse
business development.
To learn more, email the Vertical Markets Group Competency
Center at [email protected].
PAGE 28
Give Hope with your
Paper Roll Purchase!
PM Company® is partnering with our supplier
Appvion to lead a campaign to raise funds for
the City of Hope.
During the fourth quarter of this year we
will introduce a new item, PMC05214COH,
a 31/8” x 230’ thermal paper roll that, when
purchased, represents a 5% donation by
PM Company® and Appvion towards cancer
research at City of Hope.
From October 1, 2013 through the end of the
year, place your order with PM Company®,
SP Richards or United Stationers.
Please ask for PMC05214COH and help in the
fight against cancer.
City of Hope is recognized worldwide for its compassionate patient
care, innovative science and translational research, which rapidly
turns laboratory breakthroughs into promising new therapies.
Clover Expands Telecommunications Portfolio
with Acquisition of American Communications
industries we wanted a seasoned and proven leader that has a
start-up mentality and likes to move fast,” commented Baumgartens executive vice president David Baumgarten.
Clover Holdings, parent company of Clover Technology Group,
West Point Products and other brands, last month announced
the acquisition of American Communications, a leading supplier
of new and used telecommunications hardware to carriers, service providers, enterprise clients, end users, and resellers around
the world.
“Tim’s years of leadership in the consumer products, combined
with a strong concern for customer satisfaction in capital equipment and a commodity market, harnesses the additional talent
we need to fulfill upcoming promises to our customers.”
Floortex USA Names
Industry Veteran Peter
Stubberfield as its
President
The acquisition is a significant addition to Clover’s growing telecommunications business and furthers the company’s strategy
of diversification across market segments, Clover said.
“Our acquisition of American Communications clearly demonstrates Clover’s commitment to building an industry-leading telecommunication asset management portfolio,” commented Jim
Cerkleski, CEO of Clover Holdings.
“American Communications’ impressive capabilities in telecommunications hardware sales, service, and support are a perfect
complement to Clover’s existing product and services offerings,
and will provide our diverse customer base with a complete endto-end telecommunication asset management solution.”
Turbon Acquires Clarity Imaging Technologies
Cherry Hill, New Jersey-based Turbon America Inc. last month
announced it has acquired the assets of Clarity Imaging Technologies, a developer and distributor of OEM compatible laser toner
cartridges featuring double-yield technology.
Clarity Imaging Technologies will now join the Turbon Group but
will continue to operate independently in the marketplace, Turbon said.
Floortex USA has named industry
veteran Peter Stubberfield as its new
president, a newly created position.
Stubberfield began his career in the building materials industry
before moving into a series of senior management roles for leading office products manufacturers including Helix USA Ltd, Rolodex, Esselte AB, US Luggage and Briggs & Riley.
He will report directly to Steve Bull, chairman and CEO of the
Floortex Group, and take responsibility for Floortex’s U.S.
business.
FireKing Launches New Cash Management
Products Under Hercules Brand.
Turbon had been the major supplier to Clarity of its internally
developed patented double yield cartridges and will continue to
provide them to Clarity going forward.
Clarity will continue to specialize primarily in its high capacity line
of laser toner cartridges, Turbon added. The company’s products
are marketed under the PageMax Brand and several customer-owned brand names.
Baumgartens Names Tim Grabrovaz Vice
President and General Manager
Atlanta-based manufacturer Baumgartens has appointment Tim
Grabrovaz, a 20 year veteran in the consumer products industry,
as its new vice president and general manager.
Security products manufacturer FireKing International has introduced a new line of cash management products under the Hercules brand.
The line features heavy gauge recycled steel and textured powder coat painted finish and includes seven different cash box
models, three different cash drawers, three key cabinet models,
two book safes and an emergency key box.
“With acceleration of our growth in the office and school supply
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
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FireKing International president Gary Weisman. “In addition, its
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For additional information about FireKing products, visit
www.fireking.com or call 1-800-457-2424.
AmpliVox donated 50 of its “Pink Power” megaphones to the
race as part of its ongoing program of support for breast cancer
fundraising, advocacy and education events around the nation.
Ghent Donates $50,000-Plus
Worth of Product to Non-Profit
Mayline Introduces Cohere, New Line of
Workplace Tables
The line is designed to blend seamlessly with Mayline e5 furniture and other Mayline products to provide a complete office
solution.
Lebanon, Ohio-based Ghent, a GMi company, recently made a
donation of over $50,400 worth of slightly blemished, but still entirely usable product to Convoy of Hope, a faith-based non-profit
based in Springfield, Missouri, that has served more than 55 million people throughout the world through international children’s
feeding initiatives, community outreaches, disaster response
and partner resourcing.
Tables are available for a variety of applications including conference, training, meeting, reception, cafeteria, height adjustable,
occasional and nesting.
The items donated by Ghent consisted of whiteboards, chalkboards, tack boards, easels and other visual communication
products.
Mayline has introduced Cohere, a new line of workplace tables
that come in multiple shapes, sizes and functions to support a
broad range of applications.
AmpliVox Turns
Up the Volume
for NYC Breast
Cancer Race with
Pink Megaphone
Donation
AmpliVox Sound Systems once again last
month provided distinctively pink megaphones
to the staff of the Komen
Greater NYC Race for the
Cure.
OCTOBER 2013
“One of Ghent’s main core values is giving back to the community and we’re thrilled to be able to make a difference for such a
worthwhile cause,” commented Ghent president Janet Collins.
OPIS and Associates Elects Martin Zimmerman
Managing Director
Atlanta-based OPIS and associates, a joint venture sales/marketing firm with locations throughout the southeast that provides
sales and marketing solutions to the office products and imaging channel, announced last month that Martin Zimmerman has
been elected the firm’s managing director.
Zimmerman is a founding member of the organization and will
be responsible for guiding and implementing the firm’s strategy
to become a sales and marketing firm with a national footprint.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 32
Thank
you
Support for City of Hope by the Office Products Industry has been tremendous over
the years, and this year is no exception. We are grateful for every contribution, no
matter what the amount, as your generosity helps City of Hope push forward the time
when cures for cancer and other life-threatening diseases will be found. We extend
our sincere thanks to every company that contributed to the “A Century of Hope”
initiative, which raised over $11 million this year.
Heroes for Hope $100,000
To learn how you can get involved, please visit
www.cityofhope.org/nopi.
BoB Keller
2013 Spirit of Life® Honoree
executive Chairman
ACCo Brands Corporation
3M
aCCo Brands
avery
Fellowes Inc.
Georgia-Pacific
hewlett-Packard
newell Rubbermaid
office Depot
officeMax
oPI
Quill
S.P. Richards Co.
Smead
Manufacturing
Company
Staples, Inc.
The Godfrey Group
The hon Company
The office City
united Stationers
Champions for Hope $50,000
aoPD
Frey Gaede
GoJo
harbinger national
Quality Park
Supplies network
Diamond Circle $25,000
Bic
Domtar
Esselte
Independent Dealer
Magazine
Innovative Storage
Designs
International Paper
nestle Waters
office Partners
Pilot Pen Corp. of
america
Safco
ShurTech Brands
Synnex
TriMega
Honoree’s Circle $17,500
Coca-Cola
Digitek
kimberly Clark
MMF
ToPS
The OPIS team currently includes twelve associates, supported
by an inside administrative staff, which provides coverage in Alabama, Arkansas, northern California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, southern Ohio, South
Carolina, Tennessee and southern Virginia.
For more information: [email protected];
PH: 877-976-9510; http://opisandassociates.com.
Industry Veteran
David Seesemann
Announces His
Retirement
Office products veteran
David Seesemann has
announced his retirement, effective October
15, after a long and successful career in the industry.
Reckitt Benckiser Associates Undertake
Community Projects in Indonesia
After starting his business career in the Chicago area in the department store world, David entered the office products industry
in 1976 with Arvey Paper & Supply in Chicago as a store manager. Subsequently, he moved to Utility Stationers and the Paper Clip before leaving Chicago in December 1979 for Southern
California.
His first position in California was with J.K. Gill Company as general manager for its California stores, then on to Fisch Stationers, Bayless Stationers and United Stationers, where he held a
number of positions, including vendor relations and West Coast
logistics manager.
David went into the manufacturer rep side of the business in
1991, joining the Hal Feder Company as VP of sales. Hal sold
David his business in 2004 and he ran it until 2006, when David
merged his company into USA West with his best friend Rich
Archer and his partner Joy Peterson.
Reckitt Benckiser southeast regional manager Bill Marsh (far right) gets ready to pitch
in on one of the company’s 2013 Global Challenge projects in Indonesia.
Earlier this year, Reckitt Benckiser, makers of Lysol and other
high profile consumer brands, sponsored its 2013 Global Challenge, an event that brought together over 60 Reckitt associates
from 29 different countries to spend eight days working on community projects in remote villages in Indonesia.
Among the participants was Bill Marsh, southeast regional manager for Reckitt in the U.S. “In one village, we worked on a birthing clinic that had been condemned prior to our arrival and made
the facility usable again in a part of the country where only 1%
of all child births in 2011 were attended by anyone with medical
training,” Bill reports.
He leaves the industry with many thanks to many people, particularly United’s Chris Christoffers and Hal Feder, and says his
wish for everyone that he is leaving behind is much success.
“For all of my factories, thank you for your support and loyalty for
all these years; I wish all my customers great sales and profitable
bottom lines, and to my sales team and support staff go thanks
to you all for your efforts in making USA West one of the premier
rep groups in the U.S.,” says David.
Our congratulations to David and best wishes for a long and happy retirement.
After October 15, he may be reached at [email protected].
Nearly $500,000 for the effort were raised by Reckitt associates
(including $7,500 contributed by Bill’s donors) and Reckitt itself
paid 100% for all travel expenses.
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 34
NEWSfromBSA
BSA Releases Draft
Standard on
Remanufactured
Cartridges
The Business Solutions Association (BSA) last month announced a new proposed standard
for remanufactured cartridges and is seeking consensus agreement on it from the industry and
public.
The draft Standard, which can be found at http://bit.ly/173taiL, is designed to improve and
enhance the electronic communication of content from the manufacturer through the supply
chain to the ultimate user, thereby achieving new cost savings and efficiencies for the industry.
BSA is asking interested persons to examine the draft document, review the proposed standard
and make appropriate comments, if any.
The comment Form for the proposed standard is located at http://bit.ly/16hZj9L.
Persons submitting comments should explain how the standards can be improved, highlight
issues that were missed, or raise any other topic that should be addressed by the BSA Task
Group.
The closing date for all comments is October 22, at 5:00 P.M., EST.
All persons making comments must be properly identified and comments should be restricted
to the standard being discussed. Where possible, supportive information should be appended
to the comment.
BSA plans to release and publish the formalized standard on or about November 2013, in conjunction with its Annual Forum to be held at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, October 29–31
in Bonita Springs, Florida.
BSA anticipates that standards will be updated and revised on a regular basis following publication. In addition, BSA will continue to evaluate other areas in need of standardization to benefit
the entire industry and the ultimate user.
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 35
NOPAnews
NOPA Dealer Pledges Reveal Need for More Support from Manufacturing Partners
By Alicia Ellis
Over the last few months, office products
dealers throughout the United States have
pledged their allegiance to the entire dealer
community by signing NOPA’s petition for
increased manufacturer support.
Conducted by NOPA both online and at
this summer’s S.P. Richards Advantage
Business Conference and last month’s
EPIC dealer event hosted by Independent
Stationers and TriMega, more than 98% of
dealers who signed petitions identified at
least one of six issues as a focus area for
manufacturer improvement.
Whether to support “Buy Local” initiatives,
curb direct to consumer sales, provide
OCTOBER 2013
more samples, easier access to images
and marketing materials or more focused
attention by reps, 46% of dealers asked
NOPA to represent them as a whole and
take all of the above issues to manufacturers. Here’s how the issues ranked:
With more than a hundred petitions in hand,
NOPA’s intention over the next few months
is to reach out to manufacturers with suggestions on how to better improve dealer
relations and serve the dealer community,
estimated at $20 billion in U.S. sales.
Dealer Needs from Manufacturers
We will share our research and create new
infographics and statistics for use by both
manufacturers and dealers as we seek to
increase dealer sales.
Stop Selling Direct to Consumers.......90%
Support & Promote
“Buy Local” Initiatives.........................85%
Provide More Samples........................81%
Easy Access to Images.......................67%
Dealer Portal........................................67%
Quarterly Rep Visits.............................61%
INDEPENDENT DEALER
If you have suggestions about how NOPA
can further support the dealer channel and/
or reach out to the manufacturers, please
contact NOPA at its new email address:
[email protected].
PAGE 36
Print
materials.
Electronic
materials.
Regardless of the vehicle,
we take your customers
to where you want them:
your website.
e-marketing
flyers
catalogs
websites
To learn how OPMA can take
the wheel for you, contact us at
616.785.6061, or visit opma.com.
Office Products Marketing & Advertising
4211 North Division
Comstock Park, Michigan 49321
616.785.6061
Healthcare Reform:
Boon or Bust?
By Paul Miller, NOPA Director of Government Affairs
They
say creating legislation is like
making sausage. It’s probably the best
analogy I have heard in my twenty years
of doing this work and it still holds true
today.
You don’t necessarily want to watch or know
what goes into making the sausage; you just
know that it tastes good. Unfortunately, of
course, you can’t always say at the end of the
legislative process that the resulting law will also
“taste good” or, in more practical terms, do what
it was intended to do.
I suspect the public does not want to know what
went into creating the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Indeed, most people would
be mortified if they knew what went on behind
the scenes when the ACA was being debated,
and the jury is still out on whether the sausage
making process that went into crafting it will ultimately be a success or not.
The president’s legacy hinges largely on the
success or failure of the ACA. If it succeeds,
the president will be able to claim he was the
first president in modern times to truly reform
the healthcare system. If it doesn’t achieve its
goals, it will most likely define his administration as a failure.
The ACA’s problems began when then Speaker
of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, in a famous quote, that in order to know what was in
the ACA, members had to pass it first.
I personally like Rep. Pelosi, but her comment
solidified what most voters had already come to
believe—that members of Congress didn’t have
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
a real good idea what they were truly voting on.
Three years later, there are some who will say
that we still don’t really understand what’s in the
ACA or what it does. They wouldn’t necessarily
be wrong.
Congress has voted 41 times to repeal the ACA.
Some will say those votes are nothing more than
Republican partisan politics at its finest, since
the Senate and White House are controlled by
Democrats. Until recently, I think public opinion
by and large shared that view.
Unfortunately for the president, however, momentum is starting to shift in the other direction,
mainly because of how people perceive the way
the ACA rollout is being handled.
The administration’s recent decision to delay the
employer mandate gave opponents of the ACA
all the fuel they need to push forward with continued repeal efforts.
And Republicans aren’t alone in their calls for
repeal or for significant changes to the ACA.
Some of the president’s most ardent supporters when the ACA was being debated are now
demanding that immediate changes be made,
most notably the labor unions, which have exhibited on-again, off-again support for the ACA
that has been a source of frustration for many
on Capitol Hill.
PAGE 38
Paul Miller - continued from page 38
In early 2010 the unions were major supporters
of the ACA but when it got closer to passage
they came out in opposition because of the tax
on so-called Cadillac plans.
After passage, they went back to semi-supporting the law, only to change direction once again
and join the opposition, again due to the tax
about to be imposed on Cadillac plans.
The unions aren’t alone here. Those on the other side have also been playing the same kind of
games. In Washington your friends and enemies
change not by the hour, but by the minute!
The employer mandate is not the only headache
for the president. He also must face states that
previously had committed to offer insurance
through the exchanges starting October 1, but
who now admit they are not fully ready or even
capable of having the exchanges up and running
as called for by the law.
You also have the White House waiting until the
spring of this year to start trying to implement
plans to sign people up for the exchanges. This
has posed major challenges for an administration whose stated goal is to sign up over 7 million
people between October 1 and the end of the
year. This issue alone could pose a future nightmare for the ACA and the president.
A large part of the success or failure of the ACA
is dependent on young people signing up for the
exchanges. This is where the money to pay for
this is coming from in large part.
If large numbers of young people don’t sign up
and decide to pay a fine instead, you will see just
how quickly the tide keeps turning for repeal of
the ACA. The cost of the program has already
ballooned from $2 trillion to over $4 trillion and if
this number continues to climb—when the whole
premise of the ACA was to bring healthcare
costs down—momentum for change or repeal
will grow right along with it.
In the end will the ACA be successful? The jury is
still out, but the president certainly has his work
cut out for him.
And beyond just ACA-related issues, the president also has to worry about the 2014 elections.
Republicans see the ACA as a winning issue and
as of today they wouldn’t be wrong. But a lot can
happen in a very short time in politics and things
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
may well look very different by the time November rolls around.
The House of Representatives is currently controlled by the Republicans and unless something
devastating happens it will probably stay that
way—for no other reason than recent redistricting, which has made it very difficult for the Democrats to recapture the House.
The real battle will be in the Senate, where the
Democrats will have 20 seats to defend in November, versus just 13 for the Republicans.
Most of those 13 seats are in safe Republican
states while the Democrats are far less secure. A
large number of their senators are up for re-election in Republican leaning or trending states.
Should the Republicans recapture the Senate
you can bet one of the first issues to get a vote
will be repeal of the ACA. They still would need
help from the Democrats to override a presidential veto, but even without that support, they
could certainly make a statement by voting in
both the House and Senate to repeal the ACA.
Starting this month, we will begin to see whether
or not the ACA has staying power. If there are
major problems with the exchanges; if the administration doesn’t meet its target of 7 million
people signed up, or if the White House has to
push any more pieces of the ACA back farther,
then you will see growing public pressure to repeal the law.
I’ve learned in Washington never to count anyone or anything out too early. The president has
been resilient and surprised a lot of people in recent years. I’m just not sure his magic will continue as Republicans get closer to 2014. A lame
duck president will be in no position to mount
the fight needed to carry his agenda forward and
that basic fact of political life may well determine
the ultimate fate of the ACA.
As director of government affairs, Paul Miller is NOPA’s
government advocacy representative on Capitol Hill. Miller
represents NOPA and dealer interests before the U.S.
Government and key states; insisting on a level playing
field in contracting for independents and protecting office
products dealers’ business against misguided government
proposals. For more information, visit
www.nopanet.org/NOPA-Government-Advocacy.
PAGE 39
By Stephanie Vozza
And then, barring any last minute surprises, there
will be just two. As OfficeMax and Office Depot
finalize their merger (scheduled to be complete
by the end of 2013), independent office product
dealers find themselves trying to imagine what the
new playing field will look like once there are only a
pair of Goliath office product big boxes to battle.
Are they worried? INDEPENDENT DEALER
interviewed seven dealers and the consensus is
“not yet.”
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 40
COVER Story - continued from page 40
out, and that means we have an opportunity to take advantage of the uncertainty.
Once they complete the merger and are
up and running, they might become a
stronger whole versus the two parts.”
In fact, all of the independent dealers we
interviewed felt that the merger was either a non-issue or potentially a benefit
to them. But that doesn’t mean big boxes
aren’t a worry—most consider Staples the
more serious threat due to its large marketing budget and high profile.
“They’re very good at making people believe they have the lowest prices,” says
Bruce, who competes with a Staples location about 10 miles away. “But we know
that isn’t true.”
Mark Porter, president
Porter’s Office Products
“When big boxes came onto scene in the
‘90s, they wiped out the independent dealers that weren’t prepared; those who are
left know how to compete and win,” says
Mark Porter, president of Porter’s Office
Products in Rexburg, Idaho. “I think the
merger will be a huge benefit for independent dealers because the newly formed
retailer will be in turmoil for a while.”
Scott Bruce, president and CEO
Bruce Office Supply & Furniture
Scott Bruce, president and CEO of Bruce
Office Supply & Furniture in Birmingham,
Alabama, considers the merger a game
of elimination: “I see it as having one less
competitor and that’s a good thing,” he
says “It’s easier to keep up with just two
major big boxes instead of three.”
Porter, who operates in five major markets
and competes with Staples and OfficeMax in four of them, agrees: “The general
public perception is that larger companies
must have better pricing,” he says. “But
it’s a misconception and it’s our Achilles’
heel. Most independent dealers will review
invoices and show companies where they
can save money. Staples doesn’t look at
accounts like we do.”
John Allen, owner
Detroit Pencil Company
Christina Ensley, president
Rudolph’s Office and Computer Supply
Christina Ensley, president of Rudolph’s
Office and Computer Supply in Baltimore,
agrees and says the next two years hold a
lot of opportunity for independent dealers.
“The employees and customers of OfficeMax and Office Depot feel disconnected
and unsure right now,” she says. “I think it
will take them two years to sort everything
John Allen, owner of Detroit Pencil Company in Troy, Michigan, says Staples’
strength is its visibility.
Alex Llorente, vice president
Apex Office Products
And Alex Llorente, vice president of Apex
Office Products in Tampa, contends the
merger will have a positive impact: “I believe there will be good reps and customers looking for a fresh start.”
“During back-to-school season, they’re
always on television,” he says. “They have
full-page ads and inserts in newspapers
with end-of-aisle specials. They’re present everywhere.”
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 41
Allen is concerned that their promotion
with schools is creating future customers. “They are able to bid schools and win
those contracts, and kids grow up with
Staples-branded pencils and rulers,” he
says. “It’s a great long-term strategy, because those kids will have that name imprinted on them. Detroit Pencil Company
can outwork them every day, our pricing
is better, our delivery is better, our product line and our website is better. But we
don’t have that huge national ever-present marketing engine.”
And Staples’ pricing strategy is considered both a strength and a weakness.
“Their technology enables them to have
fluctuating prices, which allows them to
take advantage of high demand situations,” says Ensley, whose biggest competition is a Staples location about a mile
away. “If you look online, a stapler might
be $1.99 one day and $2.49 the next. We
have pricing strategies, too, but it doesn’t
change on a daily basis. Sometimes these
floating prices can turn people off. We use
this as a selling point to customers, and
tell them they can check our website any
day of the week and see that our pricing
remains consistent.”
Ensley, who worked for Xerox for five years,
says another weakness of Staples is its
large corporate structure. “As an independent, we have the ability to say yes to customers right away. Sometimes, we might
need to come back to the office and figure
out how we can make it happen, but we
can say yes. In a corporate environment,
they can say they’d like to be able to do
it but it takes two weeks to get an answer
from the corporate chain of command.”
A state agency recently called Rudolph’s
Office and Computer Supply and asked
if the company could provide cribs for its
daycare facility.
“Even though cribs weren’t in our line, we had
the ability to find them,” says Ensley. “Contracts go to the person who can solve a client’s needs.”
Allen agrees that Staples’ corporate organization is its weakness. “Large corporations tend to revolve around three major
objectives, usually after their quarterly
Wall Street calls. Around the first of the
year, they focusing on increasing revenue,
so they hire more reps and get aggressive. Their revenue increases so they decide to focus on improving their margins
during the second quarter. Then they zero
in on cutting costs for the third quarter.
They never really stay focused on any one
of those objectives long enough to see
the strategy pay off. They’re constantly
changing their emphasis in response to
the demands of their board and investors
and that’s a difficult thing to manage.”
a service standpoint, big boxes can’t
compete with us.”
Staples has other weaknesses, too. Porter says in the big box world, customers
are just numbers. “They don’t connect
with them at all,” he says. “It’s just how
much product they can turn.”
Bruce hired a sales rep who previously
worked for Corporate Express (now part
of Staples). “He has said that pricing with
smaller accounts is random,” he reports.
“Some customers were paying $32 for
a case of copy paper while others were
paying $37 and there was no reason why.”
While strengths and weaknesses can be
identified from the outside looking in, several independent dealers have former bigbox employees working for them. About a
third of the sales reps at Rudolph’s Office
and Computer Supply came from a big
box. At Porter’s Office Products, four employees are former big-boxers, including
two vice presidents.
“Our number one sales rep came from a
big box,” says Porter. “This is a big advantage because he can go to a customer
and battle the perception issues we face,
such as pricing.”
At Detroit Pencil Company, all of the original owners and about a half dozen of the
employees worked for Office Depot in the
mid to late ‘90s. Allen says some moved
on to Corporate Express and then Staples.
Manly Boyd, chief operating officer
Bassett Office Supply
Manly Boyd, chief operating officer at
Bassett Office Supply in Danville, Virginia,
says the big boxes have limited technical
capabilities, particularly in areas like installation and support. “If you’re a business that needs equipment running to
perform tasks, you don’t want to buy from
a big box store,” he says. “They have no
after-sales support. We respond to 80%
of our service calls within two hours. From
“Their big box experience was a catalyst for starting Detroit Pencil,” he says.
“Three of the four owners had been with
strong independent dealers in southeast
Michigan that were purchased by Office
Depot or Staples. The transition period wasn’t smooth; in fact, it was a long
nightmare. They decided to open an office
supply dealership that was customer-service oriented.”
Llorente at Apex Office Products has hired
a few former big box employees over the
years with mixed results: “It’s been hit or
miss,” he says. “Mostly miss.”
While insider knowledge is helpful, independent dealers battle the big boxes by
doing what they do best: providing the
best customer service. Porter says his
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 42
company’s ability to connect with customers and partner with them is their
biggest strength. “We make sure they
feel like a customer and not a number,”
he says. “We have live people answer the
phone and our sales reps don’t just go out
to make a sale, they do consulting. Our
goal is to make ordering office supplies as
easy and as painless as possible.”
Porter also trains his delivery drivers to put
the product where the customer wants it.
“If the secretary wants it in the copy room,
that’s where it goes,” he says. “We know
for a fact Staples trains their drivers to do
the exact opposite. Their objective is to
get in and out in the least amount of time
and with the least amount of work.”
“If a prospect is willing to share their invoices, we’ll do a price analysis,” says
Bruce. “Sometimes we can save them as
much as 5%. If we can’t beat the big box,
we’ll tell them. Buying office supplies is
one of the lowest risk decisions a business manager can possibly make. If you
don’t like us, you can always switch back.
Staples won’t even know you were gone.”
With several customers preferring online
ordering, many of the dealers said they
are improving their websites to better
compete.
“Seventy-five to 80 percent of our sales
come over the Internet,” says Allen. “The
big boxes have more resources available
to them and can enhance their online
content. They have a small army of people working on their site. We don’t have all
those bells and whistles but we do a lot
with what we have.”
Boyd, who competes with a nearby OfficeMax, agrees: “They spend millions of
dollars on their websites,” he says. “We
just redid our website three months ago to
update our own web presence. Our goal
is to stay fresh.”
Brian Kerr, president of Kerr Office Group
in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, contends independent dealers are about five or more
OCTOBER 2013
“I see Amazon as a very serious competitor,” says Bruce. “They haven’t filtered into
our market yet but as the younger people
come up, etailers will become more and
more of a player. The younger generation
is always on the computer. They don’t
want to talk to anybody. Amazon is going
to be a good option for them.”
Brian Kerr, president
Kerr Office Group
years behind the big boxes when it comes
to technology. He competes with Staples
and Office Depot in his market.
“We’re just not on the same playing field,”
he says. “This is definitely a concern of
mine because as technology progresses and as the millennium generation
demands more mobile apps and better e-commerce technology, we fall that
much further behind. We, as independent
dealers, must come together and invest in
e-commerce so we will be able to compete. Staples and Amazon invest millions
each year in e-commerce. The longer we
fail to invest in e-commerce or demand
change, the harder it will be to catch up.”
In fact, all of the
independent dealers
said they see online
sellers, such as
Amazon, posing a
more serious threat
than the big boxes.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
Boyd says independent dealers have
to battle this threat by sticking to their
strengths. “Because they are so ubiquitous, Amazon and Ebay are a big threat,”
he says. “But we have to continue to offer
services that these etailers and big boxes
can’t provide, such as more network support and after-sales service. And we have
to continue to have up-to-date e-marketing and websites.”
“Amazon is the one that scares me,”
agrees Ensley. “I know how I use them on
a personal level—you place an order and
it’s at your doorstep. On a business level,
though, I hope people are used to having
people take care of and help them. If I can
make an office manager’s job easier, I give
them one less thing to worry about. Amazon is a threat, but I hope what separates
us is what has always separated us—taking care of the customer.”
Allen agrees. “I believe Amazon has captured a great amount of volume at margins
that I’m not sure are sustainable,” he says.
“But not everything is a commodity. We
have to fill the large niche with customer
service, personal representation and the
ability to offer good services. It’s key for us
as independent dealers. The home office
and mobile office may not consume that
many office supplies and might be a good
fit for Amazon. But small, medium and
large business require much more attention than you can service online.”
There is one other area in which big boxes
and online sellers can’t compete with independents—being locally owned.
“If all things are the same or close, the
people in our market for the most part like
PAGE 43
to support local companies,” says Bruce. “I support local whenever possible, such as going to a locally owned restaurant versus
a chain.”
Several independent dealers use their local connection as part of
their marketing strategy. “I read a study that was done on buying
local,” says Ensley. “When you spend $100 at a local company,
$73 stays in the local economy versus $47 when you buy from a
big box. I make sure our customers know this statistic. I like to
ask them if they have children who go to public schools or if they
drive down the highways. When you buy from the big box, that is
money that leaves our state.”
“Being locally owned is something that is appreciated,” says Allen. “We provide jobs here and are rooted in our community. I
used to think it was an admission of weakness to remind customers that we’re local, as if they should pity our little company,
but I’m finding people are tired of the Walmartization of our country. We let everyone know we’re local by using it in our marketing
and having it imprinted on the front of our catalog. We also carry
products that are local to our area. And we let customers know
that their deliveries are made with our own trucks and with our
own employees. It’s having a positive impact on our business.”
As for the future of battling the big boxes, independent dealers
are optimistic.
“I think Office Depot and OfficeMax will have their work cut out
for them for the next several months or quarters, and I think Staples will be preoccupied with fending off Amazon,” says Allen.
“All of the big boxes have chaos in their business and this represents a great opportunity for us. As long as you are stable and
can manage the growth, it’s time to knock on doors every day.”
Ensley agrees. “Even as the office supply market is declining
2-5% every year, I see this time as the rise of the independent
dealer,” says Ensley “We compete with the big boxes on a daily
basis and we beat the big boxes on a daily basis. We have 70%
of the state and local contracts. We can hang with them all day
long and do a better job.
“What we need to do is see other independents as our allies and
partners in making our channel stronger. It does us no good to
go after other independents’ business. It’s us against them, and
we have the power to win.”
Stephanie Vozza is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of
experience writing about and for businesses. Publications where her articles
have appeared include Entrepreneur magazine and Business Tennessee. For
more information, visit www.stephanievozza.com.
Office Products Women in Leadership (OPWIL)
is a professional organization connecting women in
leadership roles within the Office Products industry.
Together we can learn, develop and grow while forming
professional connections and developing lasting friendships.
Join our conversation on Facebook and LinkedIn for more information.
CONTINUED ON PAGE XX
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 44
Bottled Water
Offers More Than Just a New Revenue Stream
By Brian Masterson
There are many reasons why independent office products dealers today should
think seriously about adding a five-gallon
bottled water program to their product
offering but the most compelling can be
summed up in just one word: loyalty.
The typical five-gallon water customer will
stay with their supplier on average for fully
8-1/2 years. In other words, once you get
them, you keep them.
And with most office dealers typically
starting out with a base of loyal customers who already know and trust them, the
chances of making that acquisition are
unusually strong.
It may be a cliché to say that you’ll find
your best new sales prospects among
your existing customers but for today’s independent dealers, it’s a cliché with more
than just a grain of truth to it. Indeed, it’s
not unusual to find independents who
commit to a five-gallon program being able to add as many as 10-15 new
five-gallon customers a month.
water sales increased by nearly 7% in
2012, and now total $11.8 billion.
For the office products dealer, particularly those who have increased their focus on breakroom sales in recent years,
a five-gallon water program is a natural
add-on.
If you’re already in the coffee business,
adding water to your portfolio represents
a logical progression. It reinforces your
position as a one-stop provider for all your
customers’ needs and gives them one
less purchase order and one less invoice
they need to process.
At the same time, it serves to block out
competition—not just from office coffee
service providers who are also offering
bottled water programs but also from
other independent office dealers in your
local market.
Since Nestlé launched a bottled water
program targeted at the independent office products dealer just one year ago, we
The key, of course, is commitment. If your
five-gallon program is nothing more than
an afterthought that may or may not get
added to a sales presentation, chances
are it will fail to live up to expectations.
Instead, management should make it
clear to the sales team that bottled water needs to be built into the dialog on a
routine basis, as they present their breakroom offering to their customer base.
The general sales force should have no
problem articulating the program as part
of their standard sales presentation and
a wide range of marketing materials are
available from the wholesalers, buying
groups and bottled water suppliers to
help support that message.
The bottom line: Adding a five-gallon
program brings a new, growth-oriented
category to your portfolio, creates an important new dimension to the customer
relationship and helps keep out unwanted
competition. And it tastes a whole lot better than tap water!
But the rationale for taking on a five-gallon
program goes far beyond the loyalty factor.
Even in these challenging times, bottled
water is a growth-oriented business.
According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), total U.S. bottled
water consumption stood at 9.67 billion
gallons in 2012, up from 9.1 billion gallons
in the previous year.
Brian Masterson is national sales manager for
Nestlé Waters North America. He can be reached
by email at brian.masterson@waters.
nestle.com or by phone at
201-572-1048.
In fact, says IBWA, 2012’s consumption growth was
the strongest it
has been in
five years,
as bottled
OCTOBER 2013
have been seeing monthly sales growth
in the 30% range and even if your own
dealership may not be able to post sales
gains on quite that scale, there is still the
potential to significantly out-perform general office products sales trends.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 45
1-2-3
The 1-2-3 Punch to Play BIG!
By Krista Moore
Independent businesses, regardless of
their industry, are constantly looking for
ways to compete against the big box retailers or larger-than-life mammoth competitors. This is nothing new, but ever
changing in the office products industry. As the big seemingly get bigger and
new competitors emerge, it becomes increasingly more difficult to compete and
grow profitably.
In the past, many independents “owned”
their markets.These days, with mergers,
acquisitions, online retailers and larger independents, ownership or market share
seems a thing of the past. Everyone is
going after the small and mid-size accounts that once were loyal to the small,
local independents.
Your customers and prospects are bombarded with messages, marketing, and
sales reps vying for their trust and business, making it even more difficult to retain accounts and compete. They have
more choices than ever: big vs. small, online vs. local, personal vs. virtual. Small,
independent dealers have to demonstrate
that they can compete in this larger and
busier arena.
Every day we work with small businesses in a variety of industries that face the
same challenges. We see at first hand the
impact competition has on their business,
company morale and income. We also see
aggressive companies that don’t want to
sit idly on the sidelines reminiscing about
the good old days, hoping that their circumstances or the economy will change
to their advantage. Successful independents realize that if they want something
to change, then they have to change first.
OCTOBER 2013
The following is what we call the 1-2-3
Punch to Play BIG!
Plan to Win: With the impending merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, what is
your plan to capture market share? Will
you target the accounts that you know will
be impacted by this merger? Will you go
after their top sales reps and offer them a
better option for employment? With Amazon and other online retailers capturing
your customers’ attention with low prices
and ease of ordering, what are you going
to do to counter these competitive pressures? What’s your plan?
Plan to Win is about preparing for the
changes taking place, and determining
what and how you need to be better or
different to stay competitive and continue
to grow your business.
It is about creating a business model and
sales strategies that are realistic, timely
and that you can implement easily. We
suggest you begin creating your Plan
to Win by discovering what is currently
happening in your market, learning what
the competition is really doing and identifying your current customers’ key wants
and needs.
This knowledge will help you create an effective plan and Play BIG from a position
of strength. Your strengths!
This might entail securing your market
and polishing your current business model, but it also likely will include reinventing
yourself. What is your differentiator? What
do you do better than anyone else? What
can you add to your arsenal that the competition can’t? Are you building programs
or product bundles that your customers
can’t easily Google and purchase online?
INDEPENDENT DEALER
Are you offering additional services or
product categories that require personal intervention and require local account
management?
If you are serious about continuing and
succeeding in this business for the long
haul, then you must first Plan to Win.
Build Relationships: If an independent
wants to swim with the big fish and influence its customers’ key buying decisions,
then they have to establish relationships
at the highest level within their customers’
and prospects’ organizations.
You know the old adage: “People buy
from people.”At the end of the day, this is
the independents’ advantage, but only if
you have built trusting relationships.
Many independents have done business
in their local markets for decades, and the
relationships they have within their communities have served them well. Are you
continuing to network and socialize to
cultivate these relationships? I challenge
you to ask yourself the following questions and set a new, improved course for
relationship and partnership building with
your customers. And I challenge you to do
it NOW!
Do I personally know the decision makers
in our top 30 accounts? If not, how can
I find out more about them, get to know
them and solidify our partnerships? If so,
when was the last time I spoke with them,
invited them to an event or took them to
lunch or dinner?
On average, how many people do our sales
reps know within their accounts? How can
I make them accountable to meet more
PAGE 46
1-2-3 Punch - continued from page 46
people and establish relationships with
more end-users and influencers?
Are we using all angles and avenues of
sales and marketing to establish and build
relationships with our prospects? What
have we been doing to personally nurture
our leads and prospects? Do they know
who we are before we visit them? If not,
what are we going to do about it?
When we talk about playing BIG from a
position of strength, relationship building
is certainly one approach you can easily
wrap around your Plan to Win. Let’s just
see how an online retailer or a big box
player can compete on the personal relationship level!
Pull No Punches: If you truly want to run
with the big dogs, then it is time to get creative, be aggressive and go to market with
confidence and style! Your approach to
gaining business and retaining accounts
is likely going to need a makeover—in
some cases an extreme makeover.
OCTOBER 2013
This may involve a rebranding campaign,
a new, more professional website, documented sales processes, power messages for employees to use, new professional
sales reps or, better, more targeted marketing. If so, then DO IT!
Your big dog competitors have more
money for marketing and advertising and
more creative flexibility when it comes to
bid proposals and responses.
Explore your own creative possibilities.
Offer rebates and incentives to motivate
and influence customer behavior. Demonstrate your value rather than just talking
and telling your story. Present your customers or prospects with formal written
proposals aligned to their needs and
show them the real impact your company
will have on their business success.
Prove that you are price-competitive and
illustrate for them your knowledge and
capacity for remaining price-competitive by revealing the systems, analytics,
INDEPENDENT DEALER
wholesaler distribution centers and buying group relationships you have.
My goal with1-2-3 Punch to Play Big was
to highlight the key components to staying competitive and relevant in today’s
market. We all understand the effort and
complexity underlying these strategies
and tactics and I’m not trying to oversimplify these efforts.
It’s important to be aware, however, of
the importance of change and the need
to forge a strong position while creating a
plan and making it happen!
Krista Moore is president of K.Coaching, Inc, an
executive coaching and consulting practice that
has helped literally hundreds of independent dealers maximize their full potential through enhancing
their sales strategies, sales training and leadership
development. For more information, visit K.Coaching’s web site at www.kcoaching.com.
PAGE 47
Don’t Atrophy
Your Selling
Muscles
By Troy Harrison
Due to a motorcycle accident, I’m currently laid up with a fractured kneecap. I’m still getting a lot of work done, but one of my
key concerns is muscle atrophy. Anytime you’re off your feet, it’s
easy to let your muscles stiffen and/or lose their strength. I’ve
been doing a lot of research into exercise and working out pretty
much everything on my body that isn’t connected to my right
knee, so that my body doesn’t atrophy and my rehab becomes
tougher.
When I was working out the other day, I started thinking about
how selling is a lot like working out (or simply living).
We have certain sales skills that we use—think of them as muscles—and when we don’t use them, they can atrophy. The sales
muscle that is most susceptible to atrophy in my view is the prospecting muscle. Let’s talk about how it can atrophy and how we
can keep it active.
Prospecting presents a dilemma for salespeople. On one hand,
salespeople typically view prospecting with a mix of feelings involving fear, dislike and sometimes outright loathing.
Few salespeople will say they like to prospect and fewer still really do. Yet prospecting may be the most valuable skill you possess, in terms of your value to your employer and in terms of your
compensation.
What I mean by “value” is this: In most cases, the most highly
compensated salespeople are those salespeople who can consistently and reliably grow their business through the acquisition
of new, profitable customers.
Hence, if you want to rise to the top of the selling profession,
prospecting is a “muscle” you must possess and exercise often.
It’s also the most easily atrophied muscle. If there is a way to
avoid or postpone prospecting, salespeople will take it (much
like many people will postpone exercise that they dislike). It’s a
human tendency.
And in my experience, prospecting postponed is prospecting not
done, and the longer you avoid doing something, the less skilled
that you become at it. That’s what I mean by “atrophying the
muscle.”
Any fitness trainer will tell you that it’s much easier to stay in
shape than to get in shape. That’s true with prospecting as well.
In my career, the toughest assignments I’ve had have been to
take a salesperson who has fallen out of the habit of prospecting and get them back into that habit. It’s much easier to stay in
shape to prospect than to get in shape to prospect.
The good news is that it’s not that tough to stay in shape. It’s
a matter of discipline. Much like working out must be a part of
your physical routine, prospecting must be a part of your selling
routine to be successful. Here are five ways to stay in shape for
prospecting:
1. Make it a routine.
Successful prospectors establish a week-to-week routine of
prospecting. In other words, instead of saying, “I’m going to set
my appointments for the week, then I’ll find time to prospect in
between,” they establish a routine that says, “My prospecting
times are Monday morning from 10 AM to noon (incidentally,
that’s a great time to prospect), Wednesday morning, etc.” Then
prospecting isn’t a decision process; it’s just something you do.
OCTOBER 2013
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 48
Selling Muscles - continued from page 48
2. Establish targets.
To succeed, it’s important to have objectives other than time.
How many new appointments do you need per week? How many
calls does it take to succeed in getting those appointments?
How many hours do you need to make those calls? Build your
prospecting time around your weekly targets.
somewhere around 2/3 of the calls you make will result in a voice
mail or a no-contact and all the research in the world won’t help
you succeed on these calls. Meanwhile, on the calls where you
do get a contact, the research is only of marginal help.
5. Social networking isn’t prospecting.
Calling out of the phone book is dead and has been for thirty
years. There are too many quality databases that allow you to
make good phone calls, asking for the actual name of a top manager, to do the “person who” call (“Hi, could I speak to the person
who purchases….”).
I know, I know; there are many snake-oil salespeople now that will
tell you that social networking is all you need to do. Nonsense.
There is a place for social networking, but it is not now—and will
not be in the foreseeable future—a mechanism to consistently and
reliably bring in new prospects. Social networking should be considered a secondary activity, prioritized below prospecting, and
you should spend at least three times as much time prospecting
as you do on social networking.
4. D
on’t substitute “research” for real
prospecting activity.
Much like staying in shape, it’s a lot easier to keep the skill/muscle of prospecting active and vital than it is to restart prospecting. Follow those tips, and you’ll never have that muscle atrophy.
3. Use a Quality Database.
Salespeople like to fool themselves that they are prospecting
when in fact, they are just surfing the Net. Extensive pre-call research does not win you new business. In fact, in most instances,
you actually lose effectiveness in prospecting by doing extensive
pre-call research over simply making the calls. The reason is that
OCTOBER 2013
Troy Harrison is the author of “Sell Like You Mean It!” and the president of
SalesForce Solutions, a sales training, consulting and recruiting firm. For
information on booking speaking/training engagements, consulting, or to sign
up for his weekly E-zine, call 913-645-3603, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.SalesForceSolutions.net.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 49
Trust
Among ‘Competitors’
By Tom Buxton
I remember the phone call from the majority owner of Metro Office Products very
well. Mike Schneider and my company at
the time, International Office Products,
maintained offices less than four miles
away from each other and we had competed for years. They took my third-largest customer and my reps and I did our
best to reciprocate.
We were first call Stationers (yes, it was
a long time ago) and they were first call
S.P. Richards. They had been in business
for a number of years and we were the
“upstart” and trying to make a name for
ourselves.
I was shocked and a little nervous. Had
I done anything illegal? Not that I could
think of, but what could he want from me?
The day I called him back changed my
perception of Metro, Mike and the true
competitors that we faced and I will owe
him forever for that revelation.
Mike called to ask if I wanted to share a
rental car to attend the National Office
Buyers meeting that year. I was pleased,
ashamed and nervous all at the same
time. What would it be like to ride with
my rival and how would I be sure not to
let out any deep, dark secrets about my
dealership?
Mike and his team were people, just like
mine. They wanted to make a living providing personalized service to their customers and went out every day just like
we did.
I told you that story to set the stage for
this one. It was an honor to be invited to
attend the first joint meeting of Independent Stationers and TriMega a few weeks
ago in San Antonio.
So when Mike called and left a message
OCTOBER 2013
In any case, I accepted his gracious invitation and from that day on Metro and
International began to be less competitive
and more focused on our mutual enemies.
INDEPENDENT DEALER
PAGE 50
Trust among competitors - continued from page 50
Since I had no specific duties I spent my
time observing and what I saw was very
encouraging.
For the first time in the world of independents, EPIC accomplished an amazing
feat by bringing two supposedly competitive forces to a place of cooperation, if not
complete partnership.
Keynote speaker Stephen M. R. Covey
masterfully addressed the “elephant in
the room” by discussing the importance
of trust and how it can be gained or lost
in an instant.
Dealer owners and managers from both
groups followed his lead by taking the
time to connect with their peers from “the
other side” and discovered that all independents face the same challenges.
In fact, whether they were associated with
IS or TriMega, many of the dealers I talked
to in San Antonio spoke of a camaraderie
that they had never experienced before.
OCTOBER 2013
Hopefully as a result of EPIC, more of us
will focus our energies on how to compete
against Staples, Amazon and the other
“boxes,” rather than continuing to spend
precious time and energy beating up on
each other.
There are great opportunities ahead for
those who are ready to reach for them.
The manufacturers, wholesalers and other vendors are counting on our channel as
never before to provide growth.
The independent dealer was once and
can be again a focal point of the distribution channel, but not if we spend most of
our energy fighting one another.
EPIC truly lived up to its name, but those
who went and other dealers who want to
grow need to move forward from what occurred there.
Let’s do our best to stop competing
against folks who are very similar to us
and make plans to take out the large, im-
INDEPENDENT DEALER
personal competition that we share.
At the same time, it is also my hope that
we will look back on the conference in San
Antonio as just the first step on the road
towards still greater cooperation among
the buying groups.
Wouldn’t it be great if some day DCPG,
IS, Office Partners and TriMega could all
cooperate and increase their reliance on
each other on multiple levels, so that independents could provide a united front
and reduce expensive duplication of resources?
Maybe it is a pipe dream, but EPIC provided a taste of what Mike from Metro taught
me years ago. May the progress continue!
Tom Buxton, founder and CEO of the InterBizGroup
consulting organization, works with independent
office products dealers to help increase sales
and profitability. For more information,
visit www.interbizgroup.com.
PAGE 51
PLATINUM PARTNERS: Avery Dennison Offce Products Company • S.P. Richards Co. • United Stationers Supply Company | DIAMOND PARTNERS:
AOPD • Navitor | GOLD PARTNERS: Pentel of America, Ltd. • Pilot | SILVER PARTNERS: INDEPENDENT DEALER • opi • OPMA • Smead Manufacturing Company
BRONZE PARTNERS: ACCO • Akers Business Solutions • Defecto LLC • Esselte Corporation • Fellowes Inc. • The Godfrey Group • The Highlands Group • Incomar Services • Midwest Resource
Group • Post-it • Scotch • Supplies Network • Trimega Purchasing Association • United Supply Corporation • Unifed Sales Associates • Zebra Pen

Independent Dealer

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